“The elemental opposite of the sophisticated Lord of the Isles.” Perched on a wave washed, rocky headland, the Ardbeg distillery was founded in 1815 by the MacDougalls of Ardbeg. The distilleries scattered white washed buildings are reminiscent of a Dutch settlement and add to the dramatic coastal landscape. Ardbeg has had a chequered history and in recent times had been closed down for many years. Glenmorangie acquired Ardbeg in 1997 and has set about restoring the distillery to its former glory. First launched in 2003, “Uigeadail” (the loch from which all Ardbeg water flows) this cask strength, heavily peated Ardbeg is produced from a mix of bourbon casks and older sherry casks. The combination gives this whisky a velvety texture, with a sweet and smokey finish. Tasting notes: Bright gold appearance. Big, sweet sherry influenced nose offers dried apricot and marmalade scents over menthol and sweet cedar smoke. Some ripe green apple notes emerge with time in the glass. The palate is off dry with a rich, dark chocolate entry becoming heavier and fudge-like with orange chocolate, sweet cereal and the peat continually reinventing itself - at once dry and sooty, then tarry and finally kippery on the finish. Excellent balance at cask strength. Boiled lolly and spice aftertaste with a subtle spearmint fade. Latest batch tasted October 2010.

Whilst many Australian whisky enthusiasts are familiar with the traditional sherried bottlings from Aberlour distillery, many parts of Europe are privy to its more curious variants which combine whiskies derived from both sherry and bourbon casks, varying in proportion. We have sourced a small quantity of these relatively unknown expressions just to showcase what this distillery capable of.

Lindores Abbey is the officially recognised site of the first recorded distillation of Scotch whisky. It was back in 1494 that King James IV commissioned Brother John Cor at Lindores Abbey to make aqua vitae with eight bolls of malt. For more than 100 years, the preservation of the ruined abbey has fallen to Drew McKenzie-Smith and his family. Several years ago he learned of the abbey’s significance to the industry after visiting a website called Connoisseur Scotland . Further inspiration came when he was shown a copy of the late Michael Jackson’s book, ' Scotland and Its Whiskies .' In it, Jackson wrote of Lindores, “For the whisky lover it is a pilgrimage”. Following fifteen years of careful planning, construction work began on a new distillery that would not only capitalise on this whisky connection but also provide the means with which to preserve the abbey for future generations. In 2017, after five centuries of silence, the stills at Lindores Abbey began flowing again. There are actually two releases now in Australia: Lindores MCDXCIV and the MCDXCIV Commemorative First Release. They're essentially the same liquid, distinguished by a subtle notation on the label. Both come aged in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and STR red wine barriques from Burgundy. Both are three and a half year old Lowlanders. You might expect Lindores to be on the lighter side, however it's more like a young Speysider, nicely balanced and not shy on flavour. There's even a nod to Linkwood on the nose where the aromas show surprising weight; Cream tea biscuits, pear drops, light beeswax, cocoa and citrus are echoed with impressive purity, depth and texture of the palate. A fine astringency checks the length, but it's auspicious as far as inaugural releases go - all that's needed is more time to add further layers of complexity. 46% Alc./Vol. Tasted from a 15ml sample.

The 'Balcomie' label represents Kingsbarns' sherried release. Made from locally-grown Fife barley, it comes matured exclusively in American oak butts that previously held Oloroso sherry, as opposed to the more typical European oak. Notes from the bottlers... NOSE: Treacle, sultanas, fruit loaf with cinnamon icing, a touch of dark chocolate with summer berries. PALATE: Sweet tinned pineapple up front, orange peel, cake spice. FINISH: Lots of dried apricot and a hint of roasted hazelnut on the finish. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

The Singleton Of Glen Ord Special Release 2022 The Enchantress of the Ruby Solstice 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 54.2% ABV, The Highlands This stellar 2022 Special Release from Singleton shows just how special whisky can be when double matured in the finest wine-seasoned casks. The result is mesmerising malt, in which beguiling, subtle wine-fruit notes entwine seductively with the layered, smooth, and rich distillery character.

"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.

"Very high quality & teasingly complex peated malt." 95 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2022 If your single malt selections are dictated by budget constraints, this will be a no brainer (so long as you don't mind a bit of peat). Conceived in 2006, Bruichladdich revived the Port Charlotte label from the Lochindaal distillery, operational between 1829 to 1929, two miles south in the town of Port Charlotte. Historical accounts from legendary British documentarian Alfred Barnard knew Lochindaal to produce only heavily peated malts, so the PC style is a replica of sorts. It started as 'PC5' with yearly follow-ups culminating in this general release 10 year old. Delivering a knock-out mix of lanolin, smouldering pine, butter menthol and vanilla cream that even the peat shy will fall for, it's superbly integrated, zesty, complex - and incredibly, at 40ppm the peat is not overbearing; Perfumed aromatics and a 50% ABV attack include Fisherman’s Friend lozenge, farmyard, dried grass and butterscotch as well as lanolin, oatmeal biscuit and chimney soot, followed by a finish that's delicately salty with dusty cocoa and hints of black tea. Both affordable and unanimously praised, it's one of those rare malts you can't fail to be impressed by. Matured predominantly in first-fill American oak casks, along with second-fill American and second-fill French wine casks, it comes bottled non chill filtered. 50% Alc./Vol. [2016 edition tasted].

"Unquestionably one of the great malts of the year...in spite of itself". - Jim Murray Tasting note: Deep gold / brass. Muted at first; builds with a PX top note almost overwhelming the expected distillery aromas; if only momentarily. Brandy soaked raisins and dark chocolate amid flashes of sweet peat and pepper. Three to four minutes exposure draws out smouldering cedar, cigar box and hints of elastoplast, accenting fruit cake in later inspections. Terrific balance in the sweet, smokey-malt mid palate; vanilla and Christmas cake add richness to the finish. Concludes prolonged and lozenge-like with Laphroaig's trademark medicinal edge and pepperiness breaking through late, finally checked by the sherry. Big PX influence here but deftly handled - think of it as drunken Christmas pudding, Islay-style . 48% Alc./Vol. Normally travel retail exclusive. Extremely limited stocks.

Named after a peninsula on the coast of Islay, Bill Lumsden has mixed it up with this release employing a combination of casks: Pedro Ximénez, charred virgin oak and ex-bourbon. An Oa (pronounced “an oh”) will become a part of the core range joining the 10 year old, Uigeadail, and Corryvreckan. Lumsden describes the whisky as "...smoky, sweet and rounded, with unusually, grilled artichokes in the finish." Tasting note: Bright gold. As always deceptively complex, developing with sherried oak aromas, lanolin, sooty vanilla and later, dark chocolate and suggestions of smoldering green pine. Entry is assertively salty, kippery, peppery. Mid palate is oily, medium dry, offering sherried richness along with piney juniper, over-baked sponge cake, black tea and hints of smoked meats at the finish. No shortage of peat, but loses some momentum in the final stages. Non chill filtered. 46.6% Alc./Vol.

Tasting note: Matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels for seven years before being transferred to smaller 125 litre Quarter casks for a further two years. The process amplifies the impact of the wood. Fumey alcohol gives way to hints of dried coconut, raisin chocolate, pine needles and a vaguely cider-like fruitiness. It's a big, chewy malt with a fabulous fanning flavour rush and impressive control. Summer pudding and vanilla come through on the finish before the aftertaste ends crisp and pleasingly astringent. Delicious. 56.2% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.